a2232
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- | ====== | + | **Commodore A2232 Serial Expansion Board** |
- | The A2232 Multiport Serial Card is a standard 100-pin Zorro II expansion card for the Amiga (A2000, A3000, A4000). It provides the Amiga with 7 additional | + | Launched in 1990, the A2232 is a standard 100-pin Zorro II expansion card for the big-box Amigas |
+ | |||
+ | For more serial channels additional A2232 boards can be plugged into the system at the same time. Up to five boards | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
===== Hardware ===== | ===== Hardware ===== | ||
- | The A2232 has its own MOS 65CE20 processor running at 3.58 Mhz and 16 kB of RAM (addressable by the Amiga' | + | {{https:// |
+ | |||
+ | The A2232 has its own MOS 65CE20 processor running at 3.58Mhz and has 16kB of RAM (addressable by the Amiga' | ||
There are at least two revisions of the board: | There are at least two revisions of the board: | ||
- | Rev 4 boards | + | * Rev 4 boards: 7x MOS Technology 6551 ACIA (Asynchronous Communications Interface Adapter) |
- | Rev 6 boards | + | |
Silkscreen next to the Zorro connector says BERLIN/ | Silkscreen next to the Zorro connector says BERLIN/ | ||
- | The board originally | + | The board came with user manual |
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
==== Enhancements and modifications ==== | ==== Enhancements and modifications ==== | ||
- | Up to 57600 on all ports using a custom device and hardware modification: | + | Up to 57600 on all ports using a custom device-file and hardware modification: |
- | Several sites also refer to mods for up to 115200 bps speeds (on all ports? Link?). Amiga.resource.cx also has a photo of a board with a title "Rev 6 board with RTS/CTS handshake mod". Another modification is to replace the 1.84 Mhz oscillator with a 3.68 Mhz one. This doubles the baud rates but the software won't know about this so the user must keep this in mind when using the board. | + | |
- | === Connectors and pinouts === | + | Several sites also refer to mods for up to 115200 bps speeds (on all ports? Link?). |
+ | |||
+ | Amiga.resource.cx also has a photo of a board with a title [[http:// | ||
+ | |||
+ | Another modification is to replace the 1.84Mhz oscillator with a 3.68Mhz one. This doubles the baud rates but the software won't know about this so the user must keep this in mind when using the board. | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
+ | ==== Serial port pinouts | ||
The connector nearest to the Zorro connector of the board (leftmost) is the first serial port. | The connector nearest to the Zorro connector of the board (leftmost) is the first serial port. | ||
- | The board uses seven mini 8-pin DIN connectors (similar to the S-Video or PS/2, but more pins) to fit all the connectors to the end plate of a single expansion board. | + | The board uses seven mini 8-pin DIN connectors (similar to the serial ports in Apple Macintosh computers) to fit all the connectors to the end plate of a single expansion board. |
+ | |||
+ | {{ : | ||
- | <table label>{{ : | + | <table label> |
- | < | + | < |
|Pin|Signal| | |Pin|Signal| | ||
|1|RX| | |1|RX| | ||
Line 44: | Line 61: | ||
{{: | {{: | ||
- | Original cable pinout (8-pin mini DIN male -> 25-pin male) | + | <table label> |
- | + | < | |
- | 8-pin mini DIN -> DB25 | + | |8-pin mini DIN|DB25| |
- | 1 -> 3 | + | |1|3| |
- | 2 -> 2 | + | |2|2| |
- | 3 -> 6 | + | |3|6| |
- | 4 -> 5 | + | |4|5| |
- | 5 -> 4 | + | |5|4| |
- | 6 -> 20 | + | |6|20| |
- | 7 -> 8 | + | |7|8| |
- | 8 -> 7 | + | |8|7| |
- | shell -> shell | + | |shell|shell| |
+ | </table> | ||
If you need to build your own cables and you are using solderable mini din connectors, make sure it will fit deep enough into the socket when the board is inside the computer' | If you need to build your own cables and you are using solderable mini din connectors, make sure it will fit deep enough into the socket when the board is inside the computer' | ||
Line 61: | Line 79: | ||
If you only plan to build a single cable and use that with a modern machine thrue an USB-serial adapter (9-pin), you can build a null-modem included connection that plugs straight into the USB-adapter. | If you only plan to build a single cable and use that with a modern machine thrue an USB-serial adapter (9-pin), you can build a null-modem included connection that plugs straight into the USB-adapter. | ||
- | Alternative null-modem cable pinout (8-pin mini DIN male -> DB9 female) | + | <table label> |
+ | < | ||
+ | |8-pin mini DIN|DB9| | ||
+ | |1|3| | ||
+ | |2|2| | ||
+ | |3|4| | ||
+ | |4|7| | ||
+ | |5|8| | ||
+ | |6|6| | ||
+ | |7|1| | ||
+ | |8|5| | ||
+ | </ | ||
- | 8-pin mini DIN -> DB9 | + | // Thanks to mackbw on English Amiga Board forums for providing the pinouts of the original cables! // |
- | 1 -> 3 | + | |
- | 2 -> 2 | + | |
- | 3 -> 4 | + | |
- | 4 -> 7 | + | |
- | 5 -> 8 | + | |
- | 6 -> 6 | + | |
- | 7 -> 1 | + | |
- | 8 -> 5 | + | |
- | Editors notes: I had lot of problems finding a working pinout of the mini din connector. Commodore' | + | ---- |
- | == Usage == | + | ===== Using the serial ports ===== |
- | In Workbench the ports can be accessed using the serial.device driver (ver 33.11 from 1990 and newer, install disk available at Amiga.resource.cx) with the following unit numbers: | + | ==== Amix ==== |
- | Unit 0 -> default | + | In Amiga UNIX the first port of the A2232 is available at **/ |
- | Unit 1 -> Amiga' | + | |
- | Unit 2 -> A2232' | + | Probably the main selling point of the A2232 was the ability to connect several serial terminals to an AMIX machine running as a server. |
- | Unit 3 -> A2232' | + | |
- | Unit 4 -> A2232' | + | Use the pmadm command to start a login shell at any of the serial ports: |
- | Unit 5 -> A2232' | + | < |
- | Unit 6 -> A2232' | + | This enables a shell in the first port at the default speed of 9600 bps (the defaults are defined as the ' |
- | Unit 7 -> A2232' | + | |
- | Unit 8 -> A2232' | + | A real vintage dumb terminal (or a device like PockeTerm from Briel Computers (sadly no longer available)) or a modern PC with a serial |
+ | |||
+ | ==== Workbench ==== | ||
+ | |||
+ | In Workbench the ports can be accessed using the serial.device driver (ver 33.11 from 1990 and newer, install disk available at [[http:// | ||
+ | |||
+ | <table label> | ||
+ | < | ||
+ | |Unit 0|default | | ||
+ | |Unit 1|Amiga' | ||
+ | |Unit 2|A2232' | ||
+ | |Unit 3|A2232' | ||
+ | |Unit 4|A2232' | ||
+ | |Unit 5|A2232' | ||
+ | |Unit 6|A2232' | ||
+ | |Unit 7|A2232' | ||
+ | |Unit 8|A2232' | ||
+ | </ | ||
- | If several A2232 boards are installed, the second board' | + | Unit 0, the default setting can be set in Workbench' |
- | In Amiga UNIX, the first port of the A2232 is known as / | + | If several A2232 boards are installed (up to five), the second |
- | Probably the main selling point of the A2232 was the ability to connect several serial terminals to an AMIX machine. To start a login shell at any of the serial ports, use pmadm: pmadm -e -p serial | + | ---- |
- | == Sources: == | + | ===== Sources |
- | A2232 System schematics | + | * A2232 System schematics |
- | http:// | + | |
- | http:// | + | |
- | Wikimedia Commons (mini 8-pin DIN diagram) | + | |
- | Thanks to mackbw on English Amiga Board for information on the pinouts! | + | |
a2232.1535205548.txt.gz · Last modified: 2021/09/19 17:58 (external edit)